Aerial view of freighter sailing on the Amazon River.
Ricardo Lima | Moment | Getty Images
The Amazon, which contains one-fifth of the world’s freshwater resources, is entering its dry season, with water levels already at extremely low levels in many rivers, prompting governments to develop emergency measures to deal with problems ranging from disrupted shipping to intensifying forest fires.
“In 2024, the Amazon Basin will face one of the most severe droughts in recent years, with significant consequences for multiple member states,” said a technical note released by the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization on Wednesday. The Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization includes Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Eritrea and Guado, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela.
Water levels in several rivers in the southwestern Amazon are at their lowest levels ever recorded for this time of year. Historically, the driest months are August and September, when fires and deforestation peak. According to ACTO, the countries most affected so far are Bolivia, Peru and Brazil.
On Monday, Brazil’s federal water agency declared water shortages in two major basins, Madeira and Purus, which are almost the size of Mexico. The next day, Acre declared a state of emergency as its main city faced imminent water shortages. In June, neighboring Amazonas state introduced the same measure in 20 of its 62 cities, most of which are only accessible by water or air even under normal circumstances.
The measures come more than two months ahead of 2023, when much of the Amazon was hit by its worst drought on record, killing dozens of river dolphins, choking cities with smog for months and leaving thousands of people who rely on water transport without food. Isolated from the world. These measures are used to increase surveillance, mobilize resources and personnel, and request federal assistance.
The Madeira River, one of the largest tributaries of the Amazon and an important waterway for soybeans and fuel, dropped below 3 meters (10 feet) on July 20 near Puerto Velho. 15th.
In the Amazonian town of Envira, nearby rivers have become too shallow to be navigable. Local officials have asked the elderly and pregnant women to move from riverside communities to the city center or risk losing access to medical assistance. Farmers who produce cassava flour are unable to bring it to market. As a result, the price of this Amazon staple has more than doubled, according to local authorities.
Another problem is fire. From January to late July, approximately 25,000 fires broke out – the highest number for this period in nearly two decades. In the Amazon, fires are mainly caused by humans to manage rangelands and clear deforested areas.
In Acre, drought has caused water shortages in several areas of its capital, Rio Blanco. These communities now rely on trucks to deliver water, a problem they experienced last year. During the two droughts, 19 of the state’s 22 cities were hit by severe flooding.
“Extreme events have occurred two years in a row,” Julie Mesias, Acre’s environment minister, told The Associated Press. “The result is that we are facing the threat of food shortages. First the crops were flooded, and now there is a drought during the planting period.”
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